Linda Cain #1 Copper Embossed Birdhouse ....

"Hi everyone .... Linda here with my 1st of four projects this week. Spring is supposed to be here days ago, but we had 7 inches of snow. I decided to brighten my day and hope for warmer temperatures for me and the poor freezing Robins outside my window. So let’s start the week with a fun project".

I started with a little birdhouse. This one is made of Paper Mache, but wooden ones would work the same way. 

 Leandra has really cute ones HERE that can be made up just the same way. I make several every few years to place around the yard. They are so cute.

This one is base coated with Haystack. As you can see from the picture, it ends up different than the color right out of the bottle since it’s not white. So I painted it twice with a brush. 

I love working with texture paste, here you can use the new Grunge Paste and a harlequin stencil. Add the paste with a palette knife, but create peaks by lifting the knife straight up from a level angle. 

When it was dry I added Pumpkin Soup over the entire area. 

I used Limelight with a Cut N Dry Foam square to different areas mostly on the stenciled sections. 

Then I hit the peaks and edges with Hey Pesto. 

Now I added the Crackle Glaze in a very thin coat to the flat areas. I scraped it to an even thinner coat using the palette knife or a credit card. The thinner the better. 

Heat this area with a heat tool till dry using a sweeping motion. Do not heat too close or on one area too long or you’ll blister your paint.

I applied a thick layer of Beach Hut with a brush where I wanted it to crackle. Only go over it once and leave it alone to dry. This is so COOL! The thicker the paint, the larger the cracks. A thin layer creates smaller cracks. Then I used a dry-brush technique to add the Beach Hut to blend edges and add to stenciled peaks. 

InkyPool was added to the edges and lots of areas on the stenciled peaks. 

Paint the edges of the roof so your Copper can be slightly smaller than the roof and not show the Paper Mache. 

Measure your roof and add about ½ inch to be safe.  I used a piece of Tissue Paper to make a template. When metal is embossed, it does shrink in its overall size a bit. 

Choose an embossing folder and emboss with a die cutting machine of your choice. 

Cut a piece of Wonder Tape or Red Line tape that is strong enough to hold metal. Apply to the back of your Copper. Mine worked out that it had an exact middle, which was purely an accident. 

 

If your Birdhouse has a string on the top, lay your metal over one side and you’ll see where the string will come through the metal. Use an awl to make a hole for the string. I pulled half of the backing off the metal just past the hole and pulled the string through. Lay down that side of the metal and smooth it down. Remove the rest of the backing and lay down the other side of the metal. Smooth it from the top down to the eave. The warmth of your hands will make the metal lay down better, but DO NOT run your fingers over the edges. The metal edges are sharp and WILL cut you.

I used Jet Black Archival Ink to stamp the Bird on the corner from HP1104 set.

HP1104

 

 The Owl on the back is from ID 02 and the script all over the rest of the house is Mini 62. 

ID02

Mini 62

I was going to add black paint to the embossed area of the roof, but I just couldn’t cover up that gorgeous copper color. SO, the choice is yours, add paint if you like and let it dry for a few minutes before using a soft rag to polish off the raised areas to expose the Copper. Polish again when it’s really very dry.

Thanks for stopping by, I’ll see you again tomorrow, and don’t forget to enter the Challenge this week for the chance of a PaperArtsy Prize! Upload/share your work HERE.

Your Friend In Art!
Linda

Leandra Says:Ohhh fabulous, birdhouses are so cute to alter, and metal for the roof is such a perfect solution! Don't cha love how fast that crackle glaze cracks! In seconds! That is loads of fun :)

Gillian Says: Isn't it cool how such a plain substrate can be transformed with a few strokes of paint and some stamping. Love the added textures and the shadowing using the darker paints such as South pacific. Love it Linda!